Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud wants input from the Class of 2020 on when members would like to have their commencement ceremony between Thanksgiving and May 2021. In a letter, he told the recent graduates that Syracuse doesn’t believe it’s possible to hold “an event of that size” before Thanksgiving, given the “public health information available to us today.” (Eric Reinhardt / CNYBJ)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University will delay the start of the spring semester by one week.
In-person classes will now begin on Jan. 24. Spring break will remain as previously scheduled between March 13 and March 20.
Syracuse University is citing “the sharp increase in COVID cases, the rapid spread of the omicron variant and warnings from public-health officials that the first three weeks of January will be the most challenging of this surge.”
Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the decision in a letter to students, families, faculty and staff posted on the school’s news website.
“I am optimistic for the spring semester because we have done this before. Syracuse University has safely and successfully held three in-person semesters of instruction in the midst of the pandemic. Each semester, the circumstances have been different. Each semester, the resilience of our Orange community has remained the same. Each semester, we have made decisions based on science and the best public health guidance. I am confident in our ability to do it again,” Syverud wrote.
Syracuse earlier this month also announced that it is requiring booster shots by the start of the new semester, or as soon as those affected are eligible to do so.
“We know that breakthrough cases of COVID will continue to occur. But individuals who have received a booster of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have significantly more antibodies than those who haven’t yet been boosted. These increased antibody levels result in greater efficacy and a significantly reduced risk of serious illness,” Syverud wrote.
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